Golden Age Legitimate Fei - Chapter 182 - Treason (96.2)
It was indeed a good show.
There were more than 30 thousand soldiers who hid in Yong Zhou and Yan Zhou. Ye Li finally realized where Feng Zhi Yao went with 20 thousand men of Hidden Cloud Soldiers. Many mountain strongholds in Yong Zhou and Yan Zhou were destroyed over night with numerous well-trained soldiers who disguised as bandits killed by Hidden Cloud Soldiers, the rest of whom fled to the border where Yan Zhou met Xi Ling.
Meanwhile, Mo Xiu Yao and Ye Li were waiting for them at the border. Defeated remnants who were originally happy to arrive at the border fell into despair when they saw the group of crack cavalry.
All officials of Yan Zhou kneeled. Trembling with fear, they stared at the perfect couple sitting shoulder to shoulder in front of them. The man was gentle and refined, the woman beautiful and graceful. However, in the eyes of those officials, they were more terrifying than demons.
Two days ago, those officials were summoned by Prince Ding who said nothing and simply brought them with him. They followed Prince Ding all this time and watched every mountain stronghold destroyed. In total, there were 20 thousand men killed as if it was just a piece of cake to the Hidden Cloud Soldiers.
Those defeated men in front of them were deserters. Yet at this hill merely five miles from the border, they still couldn’t escape from Prince Ding.
Mo Xiu Yao stared at the Governor of Yan Zhou who knelt in front of him and asked calmly: “My Lord, do you know why the Governor of Yong Zhou died?”
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Ghastly pale, the Governor of Yan Zhou trembled as he answered: “Re… rebellion!”
It was known to all that the Governor of Yong Zhou was easily killed by secret guards of Prince Ding’s Manor under the protection of Prince Li’s mighty force, which sounded an alarm for many officials.
With a faint smile, Mo Xiu Yao said: “Rebellion? Right. Punishable by death. Well… do you know what crime it is to collude with the enemy and commit treason?”
“Well… Your Highness! Your Highness… I won’t dare. I’m loyal to Great Chu…”
“Loyal!” sneered Mo Xiu Yao. “Then how do you explain this army of tens of thousands of soldiers in Yan Zhou? Who killed General Wu and the 20 thousand garrison troops of Yan Zhou?”
“I… I don’t know…” whined the Governor of Yan Zhou. “I’m innocent. Please, Your Highness…”
Mo Xiu Yao said calmly. “I don’t care whether you are innocent or not. Tell His Majesty about it yourself. Today, I just want you guys to watch Hidden Cloud Soldiers commemorate General Wu and the 20 thousand garrison troops of Yan Zhou. Though civil officials and military officers don’t belong to the same system, you used to work together after all. Let’s send them on their way.”
Standing behind Mo Xiu Yao, Feng Zhi Yao waved his hand. “Kill them!”
Tens of thousands of arrows were fired. All the remnants of Xi Ling’s soldiers, who were besieged in the middle, fell and died.
Officials that were kneeling on the ground vomited one after another after they smelled the stink of blood in the air.
“Send all the officials back to their homes. Besides, throw these men of Xi Ling out. Don’t let them spoil our land.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Nodding with content, Mo Xiu Yao turned to Ye Li with a smile as he spoke: “Ah Li, it’s time to go home.”
Ye Li nodded slightly and followed him.
Not killing captives… It seemed there was no need to speak of that…
Having received the emperor’s order to return to the capital as soon as possible, Mo Xiu Yao didn’t take that seriously. Instead, he asked Feng Zhi Yao to leave with Hidden Cloud Soldiers first. He took Ye Li and a group of men on a slow journey north. It took them nearly ten days to arrive in Guangling.
It was Ye Li’s second time in Guangling. Probably because she didn’t have worries this time, she seemed more cheerful.
However, when Mo Xiu Yao took her to Cool Breeze Bright Moon House, she was a bit surprised.
He smiled quietly.
It was still daylight and Cool Breeze Bright Moon House hadn’t opened for business yet. However, there was a man at the door to welcome them.
Seeing the serious-looking young man at the door, Mo Xiu Yao said with indifference: “Tianyi Pavilion is indeed well-informed. It seems Han Ming Yue hasn’t wasted his life for the past few yearrs.”
The smile on the young man’s face was a bit stiff. “Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. My master asked me to wait here for Your Highness and My Lady. Please follow me.”
Entering Cool Breeze Bright Moon House, the young man led the two to the back yard, the pavilion where Ye Li met Han Ming Xi last time. In it, Han Ming Xi and Han Ming Yue sat face to face.
The sight of Ye Li distracted Han Ming Xi for a split second. Returning to himself, he raised his brow at her with a grin.
Han Ming Yue put down the teacup in his hand and came out of the pavilion to greet the two with a gentle smile. “Xiu Yao, I haven’t seen you in a long time. You do…”
Before Han Ming Yue finished speaking, Mo Xiu Yao shoot forward with a strike, the impact which came at the handsome man with earth-shaking momentum.
Suddenly interrupted, Han Ming Yue turned over clumsily and dodged Mo Xiu Yao’s attack. However, the sharp power of that strike still left him unable to breathe for a moment. He coughed slightly before he said with a bitter laugh: “Xiu Yao, we haven’t seen each other in a long time. Is this how you treat me that we finally meet?”
Mo Xiu Yao snorted slightly. He went forward and kept with his attacks. Each attack meant to hurt. It wasn’t a joke at all.
Left without a choice, smile disappeared from Han Ming Yue’s face. He dealt with Mo Xiu Yao’s attacks carefully.
In the garden, the two was in a fierce fight.
On the other side, Han Ming Xi walked to Ye Li. He raised a brow at her smilingly as he said: “Jun Wei, it has been a long time since I last saw you. Are you here to see me? Then just come here by yourself. Why do you bring him along?”
Ye Li pointed at the man in white in the garden, meaning that he was the one that wanted to come here.
Han Ming Xi tipped his head at the man. The smile on his face seemed a bit worried. “Jun Wei…”
Ye Li said calmly: “Don’t worry. His Highness won’t kill him.”
If Mo Xiu Yao wanted Han Ming Yue dead, he wouldn’t need to do it himself. No matter how good Tianyi Pavilion was, it wasn’t a match for Hidden Cloud Soldiers, nor secret guards of Prince Ding’s Manor.
Laughing bitterly, Han Ming Xi said: “But Prince Ding doesn’t mean any mercy either.”
In Feng Zhi Yao’s opinion, master-hands that were as good at martial arts as Mo Xiu Yao was all his seniors. Thus, the distinction between Han Ming Yue and Mo Xiu Yao was evident.
As Ye Li and Han Ming Xi spoke, Han Ming Yue was thrown to the ground by a slam, not far off the two and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
With Ye Li’s judgment, she could tell he had two ribs broken.
Hurriedly, Han Ming Xi went over, wanting to pick him up.
Han Ming Yue waved to stop him. Then he turned to Mo Xiu Yao who walked slowly towards him and asked: “Xiu Yao, have you cooled down now?”
Mo Xiu Yao’s brows raised slightly. “Do you know why I won’t kill you this time?”
Han Ming Yue raised his brows at him.
Mo Xiu Yao continued calmly: “Ah Li has promised Han Ming Xi that she would let you off this time. So will I. But you’d better keep this in mind. I’m not a tolerant person. If you lay your hands on her again… you know what I will do in return.”
With one hand on his chest, Han Ming Yue coughed violently. He stared at Mo Xiu Yao as he said: “Xiu Yao… is Ye Li more important than our friendship since childhood?”
Mo Xiu Yao’s brows raised. His lips curved in a sneer. “Has it ever been important to you?”
Han Ming Yue remained silent. Right. He was the one that betrayed their friendship first. But… “You are always my best friend,” said Han Ming Yue seriously.
Mo Xiu Yao snorted slightly as he said with indifference: “Now that you’ve spoken of friend, I promise you… I’ll let you off the next time.”
Stunned, Han Ming Yue’s expression changed while Han Ming Xi and Ye Li was both confused and curious. “Xiu Yao! Please don’t! It has nothing to do with her. It was all my ideas!”
Hearing that, Han Ming Xi turned dark. He snorted angrily and swallowed back his pleadings.
In any case, Prince Ding didn’t intend to kill Han Ming Yue. It would be good if Han Ming Yue suffered enough that he didn’t have the strength to leave Cool Breeze Bright Moon House.
Mo Xiu Yao didn’t care who was behind it. He turned around and told Han Ming Xi: “Keep an eye on him if you want him alive.”
With his handsome face gloomy, Han Ming Xi said coldly: “I will, Your Highness!”
Taking Ye Li’s hand, Mo Xiu Yao was ready to leave while Han Ming Yue said as he lain on the ground: “Xiu Yao, you didn’t come all the way here just to beat me, right?”
Mo Xiu Yao stopped. He turned around and gave him a look as he said: “By the way, if you don’t know how to play with power, focus on your business. Don’t lift a stone and hit yourself on the foot while crying out in pain.”
The two left directly.
With a frown, Han Ming Yue considered what Mo Xiu Yao just said.
Playing with power… He wasn’t interested in it at all. Nor was he ever a part of it. However…
His expression changed. Turning around, he told Han Ming Xi: “Hurry! Send our men and find out what happened in Xi Ling!”